Oppression

Assalamu Alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu.

Oppression. Merriam -Webster defines oppression as being a) an "unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power; b) a sense of being weighed down in body or mind".

The term "hijab" literally means "a cover, curtain or screen" but is often used to describe the headdress and overall clothing of Muslim women. Islam has always strongly emphasized the concept of decency and modesty in the interactions between the sexes and a dress code is part of that overall teaching."(http://www.islamic-laws.com/hijab.htm)

I hear and have heard the word "oppression" being recklessly thrown around by western men and women as well as the media, when they are referring to any Muslim woman who chooses to follow the word of Allaah in the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) by practicing hijab and covering her head or her whole body and face by wearing a niqab and khimar. One woman that I spoke of in a previous entry told me of her belief of God as a woman and asked me how I could be "okay with wearing those things to please and submit to a man." Well, for me and many of the other Sisters, it isn't about submitting to a man or the wills of men. It is about protecting our virtue and beauty for none other than Allaah, our Creator. These rules are not only in place for the woman of Islaam, but are there for the protection of the men as well.

Allaah says "And tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allaah is aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest and to display of their adornments only that which is apprent and to draw their veils over thier bosoms  and not to reveal their adornments save to [those relatives who fall within bounds of close relationship in the Qur'an].." (Qur'an: Surah an-Nur; Ayat 30-31).

It is a command to Muslim men that they should not look lustfully at women, besides his own wife and to prevent any possibility of temptation, they are required to lower their gaze and look away. As women, we are required to cover ourselves and lower our gaze to not make eye contact. So in essence, we are not only protecting and guarding ourselves for our Lord, we are helping the men to achieve a better position and enhance their deen by not giving them anything to cause tempting thoughts or actions that could effect their chances at Jannah.

As a social scientist and a student of Islamic Studies as well as Sociology, I am fascinated by the actions of people and how they act and react in groups, as well as individuals. I have also always had the ability to look at situations from both sides of the coin and see the points of those differing opinions. I have read in previous books in my studies of the sociology of gender, that many hijabi and niqabi women feel as though they are liberated by wearing those layers of clothes to keep the prying eyes away and some even equate it to the women's liberation movements of the west. (Think bra burnings of the 1970s). Many also consider the highly sexualized nature of western culture to be MORE oppressive to the women here in the US as well as other western countries because it requires women to reveal all or more of themselves to the male dominated society in the hopes of selling more product, thus earning the seller more money. (While I love my Victoria's Secret bras, it is the way that they fit and their comfort over other brands that gets me to buy them. Not the illusion of somehow becoming one of the nearly naked "bombshell" women as soon as I put the bra on.)

From the beginning of our lives as young girls, we are constantly reminded that tall and thin are ideal to attract the best mate, generally with little regard to personality or any real connection internally. We are told that the less we wear and the more we show, the better chance we will have at attaining the man that we desire. We are told that unless there is a gap between our thighs we aren't worth having and we should strive to be more like the Hollywood image that is constantly shoved down our throats but if we choose to wear more modest clothing or to cover entirely with a veil, we are either called whores (to make others feel better about themselves, no doubt) or prudes. 

I have heard the whispers and comments of women who look down upon the hijabi/niqabi and the modestly dressed women and I find it ironic that in this type of male dominated society, those women are more uncomfortable and threatened by those of us who wear MORE clothing and would rather us dress like whores than how we do. To me it would seem that those women would be glad that we are covering ourselves instead of flaunting everything that we have and becoming more competition to them for "their" men. Which brings me to my question; Is it that the women who hate the way we dress are actually MORE threatened by us because of the level of mystery and piety that we express by NOT revealing every last nook and cranny of our bodies??

In the end, advertizing is geared toward men, from the undergarments that we are told to wear, to the make up that we put on our faces and the colors that we dye our hair. We are scrutinized and evaluated by body type, hair/eye color, and the way we dress all to attract the "perfect" mate rather than by our hearts, minds and personality.

Which society is cruel and male dominated again?